Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

by Linda S. Prather

  “Be a shame to miss those hula girls,” Harry said with a chuckle. “Maybe the chief will take pity on us since we explained we’d be working, just not on his clock.”

  Jake glanced at the building looming up in front of them as people came rushing through the front doors. “Isn’t the coroner’s office located inside that building?”

  Harry followed his gaze, flipped on the sirens and lights, and swung to a stop half on the sidewalk and half on the grass. “Yeah, and this don’t look good.”

  They exited the vehicle, hands on their guns as they raced toward the screaming mob. “What’s happening?”

  One guy pointed back toward the building and called over his shoulder, “A bomb.”

  “Call it in, Harry.”

  Harry caught a fleeing pedestrian by the arm. “Call the police, and tell them to get the bomb squad here. Where’s the bomb?”

  “Coroner,” the guy yelled as he pulled out his cell phone.

  Harry pulled his gun and sped after Jake.

  They stopped at the entrance. The office building was huge, and it would take them hours. They didn’t have time to search it. A man came stumbling from an office on the right. Blood seeped from a cut on his head, but the apparatus strapped around his chest caught and held their attention.

  Harry holstered his gun, his eyes traveling toward the stairs where office workers were still pushing and pulling in an effort to evacuate the building. “We need to get him out of here. We don’t know how many are still left inside.”

  He moved toward the man calling out, “Sir, I need you to stop right there.”

  Confused, pain-filled eyes met Harry’s. He glanced at the timer, slowly ticking down—two minutes and dropping. Even if he did know how to disarm it, he didn’t have time. He scanned the corridor, his eyes homing in on the door marked Stairs. Rushing forward, he grabbed the guy, opened the door, and started scrambling down the stairs as quickly as he could. If he could reach the basement, he might be able to contain the blast to just that area. If he survived.

  “Harry, what the hell are you doing?” Jake called out from above him.

  “Finish evacuating the building as fast as you can,” Harry hollered back. “Then get the hell out of here, Jake. Take care of Jenna.”

  Harry hit the last step, dragging the coroner behind him. Opening the door, he glanced in and breathed a sigh of relief as an empty room met his gaze. He pushed the man inside with only twenty seconds to spare. “Sorry, buddy,” he whispered as he slammed the door shut and dived for cover.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jenna arranged the roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions in a pan, covered it, and slipped it inside the oven. She wouldn’t let herself call it a celebration dinner because she hadn’t won yet. The first battle was over perhaps, but the war was still raging, and Dade would come out fighting hard and dirty.

  Opening the refrigerator, she scrounged around for something to make for dessert. She’d replenished only a portion of her supplies. Maybe she could talk Geno and Marko into running into town for an ice-cream cake. They could be there and back inside an hour.

  Dusting off her jeans, she opened the front door and headed across the road.

  “Everything okay, Miss James?” Geno asked.

  She smiled at him. “Everything’s great. Except I’ve prepared a wonderful roast dinner for you and the guys and I just realized I don’t have anything for dessert. Could you please go down to DQ and pick up an ice-cream cake? Please.”

  Geno glanced at Marko. “Couldn’t hurt, I don’t suppose.” He started the car. “We’ll be back in less than an hour. Promise to lock the doors and don’t be outside, or we ain’t going.”

  Jenna handed him a fifty-dollar bill. “I promise. Get something really tasty.”

  She watched as they drove down the road then ran back to the house and locked the front door. That night, she was going to enjoy a nice, quiet dinner with four wonderful guys. She was going to take a bubble bath and sleep like a baby. Tomorrow she’d start building her case against William Elkins.

  A sound caught her attention from the washroom, and she moved in that direction. She caught a glimpse of a shadowed figure just before he moved with lightning speed. Jenna tried to scream as an arm clamped around her throat and a second hand covered her mouth.

  A strange, caustic taste filled her mouth, and she struggled as the scent burned her nose. She heard a soft laugh and “Sorry, Counselor. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time” before her eyes closed and everything went dark.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Gregory moved quickly, pulling the now-limp body of the prosecutor into the living room. He didn’t know where the bodyguards had gone or when they’d be back, but he needed to be out of there when they returned.

  Going back to the washroom, he scanned the floor and found the trapdoor leading underneath the house. He opened it and quickly dropped through and turned on his flashlight. The bomb was positioned about six feet from the entrance. He didn’t need to go any closer. Damn it. He’d promised David he’d keep her safe. He opened his cell phone and dialed Dade’s number.

  “Hello.”

  “I found it. The problem is I’ve never seen anything like it. There are chemicals which make it look like a binary bomb, but not one I’ve ever seen. A red light is blinking, which I think means it’s activated. There’s no timer, so there must be some sort of detonator out there.”

  “Can you disarm it?” Dade asked.

  “Like I said, it’s not on a timer. This thing is way above my pay grade, Dade. Somebody is watching, and they must have activated it when she came home. They can press the button anytime and probably will if she tries to leave the house. I’d say they’re waiting for the cops to get home. I had to knock her out, but she’s probably gonna panic when she wakes up and try to run.”

  Marcus leaned back in his desk chair. Gregory was the best there was. If he couldn’t do it, no one could. Except Drago.

  “Get out of there as quick as you can, and take care of Elkins. I’ve got another idea.”

  Marcus lit a cigar and puffed slowly. If his plan backfired, Drago would kill him, but if Jenna James died, Clifford Beaumont would certainly kill him. At least Drago would be quick.

  He reached into his desk and pulled out one of the nontraceable cells he kept for situations like this. He dialed Beaumont’s number.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, Clifford. I need to talk to Drago.”

  He heard whispering before Drago’s voice came over the line. “Never thought you’d have the guts to call me, Dade. What do you want?”

  “Drago, let’s let bygones be bygones. We were good for each other once. We could be again. Right now, I find myself in need of your talents.”

  “You’re full of shit, Dade. The only way I would help you is by slitting your throat.”

  “Even if it meant saving Jenna James’s life?”

  Marcus smiled. The silence on the phone told him he had his attention now.

  “I’m listening.”

  “I’m sure you remember Gregory. He just called to tell me there’s some sort of binary bomb under Miss James’s house—not a regular binary bomb, something he’s never seen before. It’s been activated. If she tries to leave, it will probably blow. If the cops come home, it will probably blow. You’re the only chance she’s got, buddy. Either you find the guy holding the detonator or you defuse the bomb. Otherwise, Miss James is dead.”

  “You son of a bitch.”

  Marcus took a long draw on the cigar and blew out the smoke. “It’s not my bomb. I’m only trying to save her life. If you don’t care, let her die.” He hit the End button, pulled the SIM card from the phone, and flicked the lighter. He held it over the flames until it melted then dropped it into the ashtray. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jake pushed his way down the staircase, shoving aside debris. “Harry?” He coughed and pulled his shirt over his mouth to filter ou
t some of the dust. If Harry wasn’t dead, he was gonna kill him. “Harry!” he called out again, nearing the bottom of the stairs. “Holy shit,” he muttered, glancing at the basement door now embedded in the concrete wall.

  “Over here.”

  Jake stumbled and reached down to push debris aside. “Where?”

  “Keep coming.”

  Harry’s voice was weak, and Jake moved to the wall, making his way forward slowly, inch by inch. The dust was making it impossible to see. He was nearing the end of the wall when he connected with something solid.

  “Behind the file cabinets,” Harry mumbled. “Seemed like a good idea at the time. Not so much now.”

  Jake knelt and felt his way around the cabinets. Harry was lying against the wall, one leg crushed under the last cabinet. Jake studied the layout. He might be able to move the cabinet, but if any arteries had been severed, Harry would bleed to death before medics could reach him. “Can you hang in here a little longer, partner? I need to get the medics down here before I move this thing.”

  “Get out of here and find Jenna. Put everyone else on alert. I think Elkins has just got started.”

  Jake could hear the strain in Harry’s voice. He was going into shock. “I’ll do that, partner, just as soon as we get you out of here.”

  Harry struggled to sit up, grabbing his arm. “No time for that. The medics are on their way. Go.”

  Jake stood as the sound of voices reached him from the top of the stairs. “Down here. We need medics and an evac team.”

  “How many you got down there?” a voice called out.

  “We’ve got an officer down, so move your asses,” Jake yelled back. Footsteps descended the stairs, and the welcome face of a white-coated medic appeared through the dust.

  Jake stepped aside but stayed close enough to watch the examination. Right then, everyone was a suspect.

  Five minutes later, the medic stood and addressed him. Harry had long since passed out. “I’ve tied off his leg just in case any arteries have been damaged. There’s no way we can get an evac team in here—not enough room. If you can help me move the cabinet, the two of us might be able to carry him out. We need to be quick.”

  Jake gazed down at the still figure of his partner. Harry had saved his life more than once. “Just tell me what to do.”

  “Help me clear this section. Then, if you can lift it, I’ll pull him out.”

  They quickly cleared a small space, and Jake moved in, stepping over Harry’s body as he put his hands underneath the file cabinet. “I probably can’t hold this long.”

  The medic moved in close to Harry’s legs. “All I need is a few seconds.”

  Taking a deep breath, Jake bent his knees and shoved upward, his arms straining, biceps bulging. “What the hell have they got in these things?”

  The medic moved quickly, pulling the left leg out of the way and gently taking hold of the right. “A little higher.”

  Jake closed his eyes and pushed.

  “I got him; let it go.”

  Jake stepped backward and let go of the file cabinet, which hit the floor, raising another cloud of dust. He ached all over but didn’t have time to dwell on it. “Get out of the way.”

  The medic stepped aside, and Jake reached down, lifted Harry to a seated position, grabbed his belt, and struggled to his feet with the dead weight now resting on his shoulders. The medic walked in front of him, pushing blocks and wood out of the way until they reached the stairs. Jake felt as though his lungs were going to burst as he took the first step. A group was waiting at the top with a stretcher. All he had to do was put one foot in front of the other.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Drago hung up the receiver and turned to Beaumont. “I need a car.”

  “Whatever you need, Drago, but if Dade’s involved, it’s probably a trap,” Clifford answered, reaching inside his pockets for the keys.

  Drago shook his head. “Not this time. There’s a bomb under Jenna James’s house.”

  Clifford opened the desk drawer and pulled out a gun before hitting an alarm button.

  “I’m going with you. We’ll take Travis too. What else do you need?”

  Drago smiled, the scar on his face deepening. “I don’t suppose you’d have a good skinning knife?”

  Clifford opened a second drawer in the desk. “Take a look at these.”

  Drago looked inside the drawer and pulled out a long, serrated blade. He hefted it for feel. “This should work just fine.”

  Travis entered the room, his hand on the gun strapped at his side. “Something up, Mr. Beaumont?”

  Clifford nodded. “Beef up security, and put them on alert. I want you to go with me and Drago. He can fill us in on the way.”

  Travis moved into action, pulling the radio from his belt and barking orders. In less than five minutes, he had a full security team organized around the perimeter of the house. “All ready, sir. I’ll get the Land Rover.”

  Clifford pulled on a pair of gloves and grabbed his switchblade from the desk. Guns were good, but for quiet, close-up work, nothing was better than a sharp knife. “Let’s go.”

  As Travis drove, Drago filled them in on what Dade had told him. “There’s someone close, watching the house. Dade figures they’re waiting until the cops get home to detonate.”

  “Can you disarm it?” Clifford asked.

  Drago shook his head. “Won’t know until I take a look. Gregory’s one of the best. If he couldn’t do it, odds are I can’t either without detonating it. You were probably right when you suspected Warner.”

  “Who’s Warner?” Travis asked.

  Drago glanced at Beaumont, who nodded. Drago continued, “One crazy mother is who he is. Government taught him to make bombs out of just about anything he found lying around. No telling how many places he blew up before they realized he was insane. They cut him loose, and now he’s up for hire for anybody with enough money to pay his price.”

  “We need to find the guy holding the detonator.” Clifford sat back in the seat, his mind working quickly. “Travis, there’s a road that runs parallel to Monsanto. Take it. We’ll park the Rover and go in on foot. If someone’s out here watching, odds are we’ll run across him before we get there.”

  Travis turned onto Miller’s Creek. “How far down do you think I should go?”

  Clifford thought about it, judging the distance from the edge of Monsanto to Jenna’s house. “About a mile.”

  They traveled in silence until Travis pulled the Land Rover off to the side of the road. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out three sets of binoculars. “We don’t have the dark to cover us, so we’ll need to keep a lookout ahead of us at all times. There’s always something, a movement or flash of light.” He grinned. “Hell, I don’t guess I have to tell you two that.”

  Clifford took a pair of binoculars. “We’ll spread out. Stick to the trees as much as you can. Drago, you head for the house. If we don’t find this guy, defusing that bomb is the only chance we have.”

  Drago took his pair of binoculars and scanned the countryside around them. “Even if you do find the guy with the detonator, these things can be unstable. An airplane flying over could detonate it.”

  “Get her out.”

  Drago nodded, started the car, and pulled back onto the highway.

  Clifford felt his blood surging through his veins as he climbed a hill, binoculars scanning the area around him. A glint of silver flashed for a second. He marked the spot mentally and backtracked to come in from the west. He wanted the sun behind him when he approached.

  He moved quickly for a big man, taking care to stay in the grass as much as possible to muffle his approach. He was less than thirty feet away when he spotted two men. Lifting the binoculars, he scanned the area again. There were only two.

  He moved closer, slipping from tree to tree until he was less than ten feet away. He wouldn’t be able to move any closer without being seen. A bird whistled softly from his left, and he glan
ced that way. Travis gave him a thumbs-up. Clifford didn’t need him, but for Jenna’s sake, he was glad Travis was there. The day two men could take him down was the day he would finally retire.

  Travis signaled and pointed toward the ground a few feet away from one of the guys. Clifford raised the binoculars again. Dumb asses. They’d left the detonator on the ground.

  Another bird whistle sounded, and Travis raised his knife, holding up three fingers. Clifford flipped open his switchblade and watched as the fingers descended one at a time.

  They rushed forward together, each grabbing an assailant and quickly slitting his throat.

  Clifford wiped his knife in the grass while Travis took a look at the detonator. “Probably killed them too quick. Should have asked them how to disarm it.”

  Travis shook his head. “Look at them, boss. I doubt either one of them has enough brains to put something like this together. We need to get Drago and Miss James out of that house.”

  Clifford slipped the switchblade inside his pocket. “Let’s get going.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Jake ran a hand through his dusty hair and quickly downed the bottle of water the medic handed him. “Will you be able to save his leg?”

  The medic tossed Jake the car keys he’d taken from Harry’s pocket. “No way to know yet. We’ll do everything we can for him.” He climbed in the ambulance and reached for the door. “You sure you don’t want to ride in and get checked out?”

  Jake shook his head. “There may be more of these out here. If he wakes up, tell him I’m on it.”

  “Be careful,” the medic said before closing the ambulance door and pounding on the side to signal the driver to take off.

  Jake reached for his cell and dialed Jenna’s number. He needed to check on Loki before he headed out to the country. Her phone rang twice before voice mail kicked in. “Jenna, it’s Jake. Get out of the house. Go to the Beaumonts or back to the office. Take Geno and Marko with you, and don’t get out of their sight. I’ve got one more place to go, and then I’ll check with you.”

  He hit the End button and shoved the phone inside his pants pocket. Elkins must have arranged the bombings before he went to jail. He looked at the cruiser still sitting half on and half off the sidewalk. Clearing the debris from the streets would take hours. Dropping the keys into his shirt pocket, he set off at a quick pace.