Guarding the Babies

by Sandra Robbins

  The lawyer nodded as the deputy escorted the doctor from the room. Once they were gone, the lawyer gathered up his briefcase and walked out without speaking.

  Cole didn’t move for a moment, just stood there thinking of how the pieces were beginning to fall into place. His and Dan’s next stop might finally bring the whole affair to an ending. He certainly hoped so.

  He picked up his jacket, which hung on the back of his chair, shrugged it on and glanced at Dan. “Let’s go visit Greg Richmond,” he said as he headed to the door.

  TWELVE

  Kathy was sitting at her desk when Cole and Dan walked into the reception area at Wings of Hope. Her eyes lit up and she smiled when she saw Cole walking into the room. “Detective Jackson, it’s so good to see you again.”

  He forced himself to smile. As angry as he was about the crime that had been committed, he knew it wasn’t Kathy’s fault. If she’d been involved in any way, she wouldn’t have given them so much information when she’d come to Holly’s house for dinner. “You, too, Kathy,” he said.

  “I had such a good time the other night at Miss Lee’s house.” A slight flush rose to her cheeks. “And I want to thank you for bringing Jason. I was so glad to meet him.”

  A sincere grin pulled at Cole’s mouth. It was evident that the girl had a crush on their talented sketch artist. “I hope the two of you hit it off.”

  “Oh, we did,” she gushed. “In fact, we’ve hung out together several times since then, and I’m going with him to Nashville this weekend so that he can audition for Keith Jefferson. He’s so excited and so grateful to Miss Lee for making this possible.”

  The mention of Holly’s name sent a jolt of remorse straight to his heart, but he didn’t let it show. “Are you planning to see Holly while you’re there?”

  “I don’t know. She may still be in Jackson Springs while we’re in town.”

  Cole’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “Still here? I thought she went back to Nashville yesterday.”

  Kathy shook her head. “No, she’s still here. Jason talked to her last night. It seems she had a TV crew coming to do an interview today. They were going to be at her home this morning and then at the city park this afternoon.”

  Cole didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he remembered the voice mail that he still hadn’t played. Had Holly been calling to tell him she hadn’t gone back to Nashville? As soon as he finished talking to Greg Richmond, he’d have to listen to it.

  Pulling his thoughts away from Holly, he glanced at Dan and then back to Kathy. “This is my partner, and we’d like to speak with Mr. Richmond. Is he in?”

  Kathy nodded. “He’s in his office. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  Cole held up his hand to stop her before she picked up the telephone. “Never mind. We’ll announce ourselves.”

  A puzzled look crossed Kathy’s face, and she nodded. “Okay. You know where to go.”

  Cole turned and headed down the hall with Dan right behind him. He paused outside Greg Richmond’s office and rapped on the door.

  “Come in,” a muffled voice from inside called out.

  Cole opened the door and stepped into the room with Dan right behind. Richmond looked up, a startled expression on his face when he saw them entering. “Detective Jackson, come in. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  On the way to Wings of Hope, he and Dan had decided that they would hit Richmond right away with the reason for their visit, in the hopes of getting an unguarded reaction before the man had a chance to hide his response. “We’re here to arrest you for the murder of Teresa Wilson.”

  Richmond’s mouth gaped open, and he stared at them from where he sat behind his desk. The look on his face told Cole the man couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A choking sound came from his throat as his terrified gaze flitted from Cole to Dan. “Are you out of your mind? Teresa died of a blood clot.”

  Cole shook his head. “It’s too late for that argument, Richmond. An autopsy revealed that she died of a gunshot wound, and your friend Dr. Stanford is at the station now telling his side of the story. We’re ready to hear yours. Things will go a lot easier on you if you give us the name of your friend who murdered Teresa. I have a feeling, though, that the name you’ll tell us is Willie Trask. Is that right?”

  A sneer pulled at Richmond’s mouth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “We’ll see,” Cole said. He took a step toward Richmond and began to read him his rights. When he was finished, he motioned toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  Richmond sat still for a moment and then began to rise slowly. As he did, his hand drifted down to the desk drawer on his right. Before Cole knew what had happened, he’d whipped out a gun and aimed it at them. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  Dan and Cole moved away from each other, to create some distance between them. Richmond moved the gun back and forth between them as if unsure of which one to shoot at first. “Put the gun down,” Cole ordered. “We don’t want anybody to get hurt here today.”

  “Nobody will if you stay out of my way.”

  He slowly moved out from behind the desk and took a step toward Cole. He jerked his head in the direction of Dan. “Get over there by your partner.” When Cole didn’t move, he yelled, “Now!”

  Cole took a step toward Dan but kept his eyes trained on Richmond. “You can’t get away with this. If you leave here, the authorities will have an alert out for you before you can get out of town. There won’t be anywhere you can run that we won’t find you.”

  Richmond chuckled. “That’s going to be hard to do.”

  Cole frowned. What was he talking about? Before he could ask the question, though, he saw Dan make a move to pull his gun from his holster. He had just pulled it clear when a shot rang out. The gun dropped from Dan’s hand, and his body jerked once as he slumped to the floor.

  Cole caught sight of the gun on the floor and dived for it before Richmond could get off another shot. He grabbed the gun and lunged to his feet, the weapon pointed at Richmond. “Drop your gun or I’ll shoot.”

  Richmond laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m going...”

  Before he could finish what he was about to say, the office door burst open, and Kathy rushed into the room. At the sight of her boss and Cole in a standoff, she came to a stop. When she spotted Dan on the floor, she turned a frightened look back to Richmond and started to run, but she wasn’t fast enough.

  Richmond grabbed her around the waist, pulled her against him so that her back was against his front, and pointed the gun at her head. “Drop your weapon, Detective, or I’ll blow her brains out.”

  Kathy’s face turned pale, and Cole was afraid she might faint any minute. “There’s no need to add more charges on top of what we already have. Let the girl go.”

  Richmond shook his head. “Not a chance.” He pressed the gun harder against her temple and glared at Cole. “What’s it going to be?”

  Cole knew there was only one thing to do. Carefully, he laid the gun down. “There. I’ve done as you asked. Now let her go.”

  “Not just yet.” He eased over to his desk and picked up a key ring that lay there. “Kathy and I are leaving. We’re going to lock the door on our way out. If you want her to live, you’ll not try to stop me.” He moved toward the doorway, the key ring he’d picked up off the desk dangling in the hand around Kathy’s waist. “Take the key out of my hand, Kathy. When we’re in the hallway, lock these nice detectives in here.”

  The frightened girl nodded and reached for the keys. Cole took a step toward him. “Let Kathy go now. You’re not going to get far, Richmond.”

  He just laughed and tugged Kathy closer. Suddenly, Kathy’s arm arced up, and she stabbed the keys into Richmond’s face. He howled in pain and released her. As she fell to the floor, Cole knew he had no more than
a second to take his shot. Training kicked in, and he aimed at center mass, just as he’d been taught, before firing. The blast knocked Richmond into the hall, where he fell and lay still.

  Cole was on him in a minute and took away his gun. Richmond didn’t move as Cole examined the chest wound that was pumping blood onto the floor. He felt for a pulse and then pulled his jacket off and pressed it against Richmond’s chest. Kathy stood in the office doorway, her eyes wide as she stared at Richmond and then back to Dan. She looked like she might go into shock, so he gave her something to focus on. “How’s Dan? Check on him for me, will you?”

  She rushed to obey his instruction. “His shoulder is bleeding, but his pulse is strong.”

  “Okay. Now, I need you to call nine-one-one. Tell them we have an officer and a suspect down.”

  Kathy turned and ran back to the phone at the desk. He could hear her talking to the dispatcher, and then she reappeared at the door. “They’re on their way.”

  “Good,” he said. His partner needed help, but it looked like Richmond was the critical one. He couldn’t let the man die. Not until he’d told them who had killed Teresa and why the twins were in danger. He put Kathy to work applying pressure on Dan’s injury while he stayed with Richmond.

  He pressed harder against the wound and waited for the sound of sirens.

  * * *

  Holly propped her hands on her hips and concentrated for a moment, trying to decide if she had everything she’d need for their short trip to the park. It seemed like every time she left the house she was packing for an extended stay somewhere. She would never have believed how many necessary items were needed to cover whatever might occur.

  Today, she’d packed a bag with apple juice, sippy cups, crackers, sunscreen, extra outfits in case Emma and Ethan got their clothes dirty, Ziploc bags for soiled diapers, a blanket for each of them in case they got chilly and bottled water. Then there was the diaper bag that contained a changing pad, diapers, teething gel because they were cutting their first molars and antibacterial wipes.

  Satisfied that she had everything, she looked around for her purse and cringed at the idea that she’d have one more thing to keep up with. Since Mandy was busy interviewing applicants for the nanny position and working on publicity for the upcoming tour and with Mrs. Green leaving shortly for a dentist appointment, it would just be Todd and Ray with her this afternoon. They’d be focused on keeping them safe, and she couldn’t expect them to carry bags around for her as well.

  After a moment, she decided there was no need for a purse, but she did want her cell phone. She pulled it from her purse, put it on vibrate in case it rang during the interview and stuck it down in the diaper bag. Satisfied that she had everything, she picked up the bags, called out to Mandy that she was ready to leave and carried all her supplies to the car.

  Todd and Ray were waiting for them. “Did you put the stroller in the back?” Holly asked as she stuck the bags inside the trunk.

  “Yes, ma’am. That’s all taken care of.”

  The front door of the house opened and Mandy and Mrs. Green emerged, each holding one of the babies. The twins began to smile and kick their legs in excitement when they saw her standing by the car. Holly’s heart warmed at the thought that they knew they were about to go for a ride with their aunt.

  She took Emma in her arms and buckled her in one of the car seats while Todd carried Ethan around the side of the car and fastened him in the other. When they were both secure, Holly turned back to the women whom she’d come to depend on so much. “Thank you for all your help. I hope your dental appointment isn’t too painful, Mrs. Green, and I’ll check with you on your progress when I get back, Mandy.”

  Both women stepped away from the vehicle and waved at the children as Holly climbed in the car and settled herself between the two babies. Ray glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were secure and then guided the SUV out of the driveway. As they rode toward the park, a tingle of apprehension ran through her body. Hopefully, the filming would go quickly. She didn’t really feel comfortable about being out in the open park with the twins this afternoon.

  It only took a few minutes to get to their destination, and when they approached, she sighted a barricade across the entrance to the park. A man in a uniform that identified him as a park employee stood there. Ray pulled to a stop and spoke a few words to the man, who nodded and then opened the barricade.

  As they entered, Holly glanced around. She had come to this park so many times with her sister when they were growing up and with Cole when they were dating. There were a lot of memories here, but today she had a growing concern that she shouldn’t be there. She looked around as Ray pulled the car to a stop.

  “Do you think we’re going to be safe, Todd?”

  “I do, Miss Lee. Ray and I will make sure of it.”

  Satisfied with his answer, she climbed out when he opened the door and waited for Ray to bring the stroller from the back. Emma and Ethan squealed in glee as she and Todd picked them up and deposited them in the two seats. She hung her bags over the handle and smiled at how excited they were to be outside.

  The camera crew was already there, and she pushed the twins to where Stephen and Mark, the cameramen from earlier, stood. “I have everything ready, Miss Lee. I don’t want you to have to keep your children out here longer than needed. I’m going to do some shots of you playing with the babies until the Davenports get here. Then you can concentrate on the interview.”

  “That sounds great, Stephen. The sun’s rather hot today, and I don’t want to take a chance on them getting sunburned.”

  “Why don’t you spread a blanket and sit down with them while I’m getting my camera ready? Just relax and make this look like a typical trip to the park with your children.”

  Typical? The word echoed in her head. There was nothing typical in her life, not since she’d left Jackson Springs. That thought brought Cole to mind, and her heart pricked at the silence she’d gotten in response to her voice mail. He’d had plenty of time to call her if he had wanted to, so all she could conclude was that he wasn’t interested in what she had to say. She blinked back tears as she settled the twins on the blanket and sank down beside them with the sunscreen.

  Stephen came back with the camera just then, and all thoughts of Cole fled from her mind as she concentrated on corralling the twins in one area and making it look like a typical afternoon at the park. As she slathered the sunscreen on the two active babies, she became so engrossed in her task that she didn’t hear the car at first.

  Suddenly Todd’s voice roared through the air. “Get down!”

  Holly looked up and stared in shock at an SUV speeding across the grass toward them. She put her arms around the babies and started to gather them up to run away from the oncoming danger, but then the vehicle came to a stop and two men jumped out.

  Todd whipped out his gun, but before he could pull the trigger, one of the men fired and Todd slumped to the ground. The other man had a gun aimed at Ray, and its blast echoed through the park.

  Holly screamed as the two men advanced toward her. Stephen, the cameraman, tried to approach, but a bullet cut him down before he could reach her. He fell to the ground, his camera beside him. Stephen’s assistant, Mark, sprinted away from them as bullets flew through the air all around him. She hoped he had made it safely away to call for help.

  The two men who’d climbed out of the car walked up to her, and one of them spoke in a calm voice. “Miss Lee, I want you to pick up one of the twins. I’ll get the other while my friend here keeps a gun trained on you. If you try anything foolish, he will kill you. Do you understand?”

  Her voice wouldn’t make a sound, so she nodded.

  “Good,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  Holly rose to her feet and grabbed Ethan while the man picked up Emma. They started toward the car, and she spotted the bags still hanging on the
stroller handle. “Please, we need those bags for the children.”

  He frowned as if he wasn’t going to heed her request but then reached out and slung the bags over his shoulder. The other man holding the gun nudged her forward, and she swallowed down the fear that clogged her throat. Who were these men and where were they taking them? And most important, would she and the twins survive once they got there?

  * * *

  Cole paced the hospital’s ER reception area as he waited for the doctor to come talk to him about Dan’s condition. The room was packed with Dan’s family members, all except his wife, who had followed a nurse from the room a few minutes earlier. Deputies, some on duty and in uniform while others wore civilian clothes, stood about, having come in on their day off. All were there to support a brother who had fallen today in the line of duty. He groaned as he raked his hand through his hair and turned to trace the path he’d followed across the floor for the last hour, praying for his friend’s condition. What was taking so long?

  The door to the exam rooms in the back opened, and the doctor walked out. He looked around, and then his eyes landed on Cole. “Are you Detective Welch’s partner?”

  Cole swallowed. “I am. How is he?”

  A smile spread across his face. “He’s going to be fine. The bullet passed through his shoulder but didn’t do any major internal damage. He’ll be off work for a while, but he should recover completely. The other man didn’t fare so well. He suffered a severe chest wound, and he’s been sent to ICU.”

  Cole let out a huge sigh of relief at the news about Dan. He was also glad Greg Richmond had survived so far. He had questions to answer. “Thank you, Doctor. When can I speak to Greg Richmond?”

  The doctor shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s going to be a while. He’s heavily sedated and on a respirator. He won’t be able to talk for days.”

  Cole nodded and tried to keep the disappointment that he wouldn’t be allowed in yet from showing on his face. “I’ll keep checking on him and come back when you say it’s all right. In the meantime, can I see Dan?”