She’d talked to Sergeant Yeager that morning, learned about his appendix and the arrests of Rhyne Grello and Mason Capps. For everything that seemed to go so wrong, it ended up turning out perfectly right. What shocked Laura most was how little it meant to her now. She knew the accolades would come, but she already felt fulfilled.
She buttered her toast and said, “Hey, Dad, you want to hear about what went down last night? We got a big one.”
He smiled, his eyes lighting with the excitement every cop felt when anticipating a great cop story. “You bet.”
Chapter 41
Nan propped Ron up against some pillows. He felt drowsy, like he could sleep for another five days. Even blinking took a lot of effort. But nothing was going to stop him from smiling. Jesse, Dozer, Wiz, Kyle, and Mack were gathered around his hospital bed.
He’d made peace with Nan. She wasn’t happy he’d lied, but she understood his reasons. And he couldn’t be more thankful that his appendix had burst. That was one strange but welcome gift from God. Had it been his heart, he never would’ve heard the end of it.
He’d tried to promise her a trip to Hawaii. “If you want to make nice,” she said, “rent me a convertible and come with me up the Pacific Coast Highway in September.”
“Deal.” He smiled. They’d done that on their honeymoon.
“We just finished filling out the reports,” Jesse said.
“The DA said he couldn’t believe we got Rhyne Grello,” Wiz said.
“He thought they could get Grello to testify against Vincent Ayala too,” Jesse added.
“I’m glad we didn’t have to do surveillance all the way to Mexico,” Dozer said. “I hate that.”
Ron smiled at Mack. “I hear you took my advice.”
“Yeah,” Mack grinned.
“What advice?” Jesse asked.
“Sarge told me that sometimes it’s better to play the weaker man. It bought me precious time in this little scenario.”
Jesse looked down. “I never should’ve brought Brandi into the mix.” Then he smiled. “At least I don’t have to take her to the prom.”
Ron waved his hand. “We got ’em, and that’s all that matters. You all worked really hard. We broke into an auto-theft ring and busted up a drug-trafficking operation. Captain Gates told me to tell all of you thank you and that you did a good job.” A nurse entered with what looked like Ron’s dinner. She set the tray on the table next to him.
“We should let you eat,” Mack said. “And rest.”
“Wait a minute. Don’t leave just yet. I have a little surprise for each of you. Nan, would you mind giving Dozer his?”
Nan handed a bag to Dozer. Dozer laughed as he peered into it. “A can of Red Bull and a bottle of Mountain Dew. Thank you. I’ll put these to good use.”
“Wiz, I didn’t have to go far to find something for you.” Ron reached next to his bed and lifted up a bedpan.
Wiz cracked up. “How … thoughtful.”
“Beats a catheter, believe me,” Ron smiled. “Mack, come over here.”
Mack raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously. He took a small sack from Nan and handed it to Mack. She pulled out a plastic bottle and held it up for everyone to see. “Makeup remover. Thank you.” She laughed and shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll be using makeup for a very, very long time.”
Ron pointed to his food tray. “And last, but certainly not least, Jesse and Kyle, why don’t you come over here.” He pointed to a large closed container on the food tray. “Go ahead, open it.”
Jesse paused and glanced at Kyle before lifting the lid. “Are snakes going to come flying out?” he quipped, carefully pulling off the lid.
“What is it?” Dozer asked.
Jesse smiled. “A weeks worth of Jell-O. Compliments of the hospital.”
“And,” Kyle said, “a ham sandwich.”
The room echoed with laughter.
“All right, all right,” Nan said. “You guys are going to have to leave. The pain medication he’s on might make him start thinking he’s Santa Claus, what with all the gifts he’s handing out.”
“You heard the woman,” Ron said, taking her hand. “Ho, ho, ho.”
“We’ll check in with you later, Sarge,” Mack said. “Get some rest.”
They filtered out of the room, and the nurse quietly shut the door. Nan sat down in the chair she’d been glued to since the moment he’d become conscious after the surgery.
“Don’t look at me that way,” he said.
“What way?” she asked.
“The way that makes my heart skip a beat.”
She gave him a wry smile. “It’s going to take more than flattery and a missing appendix to get you off the hook.” She leaned back and folded her arms. “What’s next for you? Skydiving? Treasure hunting? What?”
He touched her hand. “I’ve already found my treasure.”
“Oh, brother,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I think they’ve got the oxygen turned up too high.” She leaned forward. “It’s time to let them go.” She glanced to the doorway. “They’ll be okay, you know. Every generation has to pass what they know to the next generation and trust they’ll make it work.” She stood. “You rest now. I’ve got to leave for a little bit.”
“Where are you going?”
“To buy a chain.”
“For what?”
She smiled. “To chain you to your desk for the next nineteen months.”
Dozer, Wiz, and Jesse walked out of the hospital. Jesse said, “Hey, I’ll catch up with you guys tonight at dinner, okay?” He walked briskly toward the parking lot where he could see Mack’s head weaving through the cars. “Mack! Wait up!”
She turned and waited for him as he squeezed between two narrowly parked cars. “Hi,” he said, a little out of breath.
“Hi.”
“Listen, I just wanted to tell you … well … you did a good job. A really good job. I don’t know how any of us would’ve reacted in that kind of situation. You handled yourself like a pro.” He offered a gentle smile. “I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time. You proved me wrong. You’re a great cop.”
“You too, Jesse. Thanks for everything you taught me.”
“I’m sorry I made fun of your … uh, religious side. I’m an idiot, you know? I shouldn’t have made you feel small. And it turns out,” he said with a laugh, “you were right.”
“You didn’t make me feel small. But I’m glad you’re taking what I’ve said to heart.”
“Between you and Kyle, I might just turn into a priest.”
She laughed. “I think we’d settle for a regular Ol’ Christian.”
“Right. I’ll think about it. I’ll be checking out Kyle’s church. We kind of had a deal.”
Mack looked at her watch. “Well, I gotta run.”
“Hey, listen, the guys and I are meeting at a sports bar tonight. You should come. It’ll be fun.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got plans. A date, actually.”
“Really? I’ve got to give it to that guy. He’s got a lot of guts … and good taste.”
“You know who it is?”
“Let’s put it this way. If a quartet shows up at dinner, that wasn’t my idea. But be sure to give him props for trying hard.”
She stuck out her hand, and he shook it.
“I’m glad we worked together, Mack.”
“Me too. Made me realize I have a lot to learn.”
“You’ll get it. This stuff is second nature to you.”
She cracked a smile. “I meant about my temper. But nobody’s perfect, right?”
“If that’s the most you have to work on, I think you’ll be just fine.”
“I’ll see you around, okay?”
She turned, but Jesse said, “Mack, wait.” He dug into his pocket, found what he was looking for, and handed it to her.
She opened her hand. “Your lucky bullet?”
“Something to remember me by. I won’t be needing it anymore.”
>
She closed her hand and gave him a warm smile. “Thank you.”
Jesse watched Mack walk to her car. And just for the heck of it, he said a little prayer for Kyle, that tonight would be the start of something wonderful. And that Mack would be a fan of ham.
Chapter 42
Mack sat next to a roaring, crackling fire and watched her family mingle and laugh. It was good to be home. She planned on making the most out of every minute she was here. Hayden and her fiancé, Ray, were hanging last-minute ornaments on the tree. She’d never seen Hayden so happy. Ray, who couldn’t stop gushing about her, told everyone that Hayden was still a hit at the news station. And Hayden couldn’t stop talking about her wedding plans. She asked Mack to be her maid of honor, which Mack agreed to, with the understanding that someone else would have to do her makeup, if she wore any at all. But Cassie had already rushed to the drugstore to gather samples for Mack to try, claiming it would be a Christmas miracle if they could see her in lip gloss. Little did they know. Later she would suggest that the bridesmaids wear pantsuits instead of gowns. But for now she just wanted to enjoy the moment.
The aroma of a Christmas turkey wafted through the house. Christmas music played softly in the background: Nat King Cole, her mother’s favorite. Silver garland wrapped all the way up the staircase banister. A wreath with bright red berries hung over the fireplace.
It amazed Mack that she could be in this old house, full of memories of her mother and father, and still smile. There was a time when she thought she would never get over their deaths. But time healed and new life began, evident in the squeals and screams of her nieces and nephew.
“Hey,” Hank said, sitting down next to her with a string of popcorn in his hand. “How’s my favorite undercover officer?”
Mack smiled and leaned into him. “I haven’t told the rest of the family yet, but I’m going back to patrol.”
“Really?”
“I realized I miss helping people, talking to little kids about safety, helping elderly people get their cats out of trees, lecturing people about their speed, and turning on my sirens and chasing down the bad guys. Its where I belong.”
“I’ve been doing some career thinking too.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I’ve just hopped from one job to another, but nothing seemed to fit. I know a lot about cars, but I don’t want to work with cars forever. I realized while working with you that I need more passion for what I’m doing.” He glanced sideways at her. “I know, I know, I’m not the epitome of excitement, but I watched how much you love your job, and I want that.”
“What kind of job do you think you want?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, staring into the fire, “but I have to say, I really liked being sneaky.”
“Like undercover work?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m going to explore my options.”
“As long as it’s something that involves sneaking around?” Mack laughed.
Hank laughed too. “Yeah. And preferably something where I don’t have to speak a lot. I really did like that airplane ride. Maybe I’ll get into airplanes.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit, you know,” Mack said. “You’re funny and fun to be around. Maybe it’s time you came out of your shell.”
Hank smiled and rested his chin on his hand. “That might help me with the ladies, huh?”
Mack leaned over and ruffled his hair. “You know your charm and good looks are enough.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Merry Christmas, Hank. I know you’ll find the perfect job. The sky’s the limit.”
Acknowledgments
This book was quite a labor of love. Right in the middle of writing it, I accidentally stabbed a knife into my hand while making, of all things, my favorite food in the world—guacamole. I severed the radial nerve. I’ll spare you the rest of the details, but they weren’t good. I’d like to thank my surgeon, Dr. Ghazi Rayan, who saved the use of my hand so that I could type again and finish this book! I’d also like to thank all my family, friends, and readers who prayed for me and helped me through what seemed like an eternal pause.
I’m certain it felt like an eternal pause for my publisher, who graciously waited for me to recover. I’m blessed to work with a talented team at WaterBrook. Special thanks to Shannon Hill, who helped me work this story out to what it needed to be, and to Laura Wright and the rest of the editorial team, who worked hard to help me get it just right. As always, many thanks to Dudley Delffs and Janet Kobobel Grant.
This kind of book can’t be written without the help of professionals, which is part of the vision for this series. I was blessed to partner with my longtime technical advisor, Ron Wheatley, who went above and beyond the call of duty by letting me get a real glimpse into the life of an undercover officer. I wish I could’ve included in this book every fascinating detail of my research; what is here is only a fraction of what I learned. However, I gained an enormous amount of respect for the men and women in this profession. My deepest thanks goes to Ron’s wife, Barb, who was kind enough to share her thoughts and stories about life married to an undercover officer. Their graciousness and hospitality were the very definition of Christian love. I’d also like to thank Jerry VanCook, fellow writer, former undercover officer, and author of Going Undercover for his help, as well as Lieutenant Jeff Treat and Sergeant Mike Knight and his wife, Sherri Knight, for their patience in helping me with the details.
Last, but definitely not least, I cannot write without the support of my loving family. Thank you, Sean, John Caleb, and Cate, for bringing such joy into my life. I love you. And thank you, Father, for the many gifts that you have given me, including this wonderful thing called writing.
About the Author
RENE GUTTERIDGE is the author of ten novels, including Ghost Writer, Troubled Waters, and the Boo series. She worked as a church playwright and drama director, writing over five hundred short sketches, before publishing her first novel and deciding to stay home with her first child.
Rene is married to Sean, a musician, and enjoys raising their two children while writing full time. She also enjoys helping new writers and teaching at writers’ conferences. She and her family make their home in Oklahoma.
Please visit her Web site at www.renegutteridge.com.
Book One in
The Occupational Hazards series:
Old School meets New School
meets Homeschool.
With unexpected twists and delightful humor, Scoop offers a hilarious behind-the-scenes look at a local TV news team’s desperate grab for ratings—and the hazards of taking one’s faith into the workplace.
Available in bookstores and from online retailers.
WATER BROOK PRESS
www.waterbrookpress.com
SNITCH
PUBLISHED BY WATER BROOK PRESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
A division of Random House Inc.
Scripture quotations and paraphrases are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version¯. NIV¯. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
Copyright © 2007 by Rene Gutteridge
Published in association with the literary agency of Janet Kobobel Grant, Books & Such, 4788 Carissa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95405.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
WATERBROOK and its deer design logo are registered trademarks of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gutteridg
e, Rene.
Snitch: a novel / Rene Gutteridge. —1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Las Vegas (Nev.)—Fiction. I. Tide.
PS3557.U887S65 2007
813′.6—dc22
2007003309
eISBN: 978-0-307-49943-1
v3.0
Snitch Page 30
