Dead Reckoning (Cold Case Psychic Book 2)

by Pandora Pine

  That was information Tennyson didn’t have and didn’t give two shits about at the moment. He knew all Ronan cared about right now was getting Greeley out of that room safely.

  “Rod, calm down. Let’s figure a way out of this. No one else has to get hurt. Let me into the room so I can see Greeley.”

  “All I had to do was wait. Just a few more months and that shriveled up motherfucker will be dead. Jesus! Fuck!”

  “Rod, listen to me. Are you listening? Throw your gun out through the window and unlock the door.”

  “Fuck you, O’Mara!” Jacobson was weeping now.

  Ronan scooted out from under the window and moved past the door. He held up a hand to hold Tennyson back before kicking the door in. The cheap locks gave way under his powerful kick and the door bounced off the wall. “Hands up, Jacobson. It’s over.” Ronan has his gun trained on the killer’s head.

  Tennyson knew Ronan wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if the other man moved one muscle.

  “It’s not over, Ronan.” Jacobson smiled. “We’re pointing guns at each other. Who’s going to untie the boy?”

  “Tennyson! Come in here!” Ronan yelled.

  Ten took a deep breath and reached out with his gift. He didn’t get any kind of warning from his spirit guides, so he stuck his head around the corner of the room.

  “Grab my army knife out of my pants and cut Greeley free.” Ronan kept his eyes on Jacobson the whole time. Kept his finger on the trigger.

  Tennyson fished the knife out of Ronan’s pocket and quickly went to work cutting the ropes binding Greeley’s right hand and ankle to the bed. He hesitated for a moment before climbing on the bed and going for the ropes binding the teenager’s left limbs. He didn’t want to risk going anywhere close to Jacobson. If the man grabbed him, he’d be a hostage and he knew Ronan would kill the man to keep him safe.

  Jacobson’s eyes flittered to Tennyson. His hand flinched on the gun.

  “Don’t even think about it, asshole. You’ll be dead before you can pull the trigger. I guarantee it.”

  When the last rope was cut, Tennyson helped Greeley sit up and pulled the stoic boy into his arms. With strength he didn’t even know he possessed, Tennyson lifted the boy into his arms and ran out of the room with him.

  Tennyson was nearing the staircase when he heard a blood-curdling scream.

  “GREELEY!” Fitzgibbon shouted.

  A gunshot rang out. Then two more.

  42

  Ronan

  Everything seemed to happen at the speed of light. Tennyson had run out of the room with Greeley cradled in his arms and what seemed like only seconds later, Fitzgibbon ran into the room shouting for his son.

  Jacobson pulled the trigger and before Ronan had time to think twice about it, he fired twice hitting Jacobson in the head.

  “Jesus Christ,” Fitzgibbon groaned.

  Ronan turned and saw his captain on the floor, blood pouring out of a bullet wound. “Captain! Where are you hit?”

  “Chest,” he managed to grit out.

  “Ronan!” Tennyson yelled, running back into the room.

  “I’m fine, Ten. Call 9-1-1!” Ronan pulled his shirt off and used it to apply pressure to Fitzgibbon’s wound.

  “Greeley? Where’s my son?” Fitzgibbon’s voice was barely above a whisper. He reached his hand out.

  “He’s with me. He’s fine,” Tennyson said before ducking back out of the room.

  “I need to see him. What if…?”

  “Don’t talk like that, cap. You’re going to be fine.” Ronan wasn’t so sure. Fitzgibbon was losing a lot of blood and the gunshot was very close to his heart.

  “Dad?” Greeley ran back into the room. He slid to the floor and grabbed Kevin’s hand. “What happened. Are you gonna be okay?”

  “My boy.” Fitzgibbon smiled. “Never forget how much I love you.”

  “I love you too, Dad.” Greeley’s voice cracked. “Don’t leave me. We just found each other. We have to find out if Ahab gets the white whale.” Tears were pouring down the teenager’s face.

  “I’m gonna be fine. Maybe you’ll have to read to me.” Kevin managed a small smile.

  “Ambulance is on the way.” What can I do?” Tennyson asked.

  “Pray,” Ronan said. He pushed harder on the wound when he noticed Kevin losing consciousness. “Stay with me, Kevin. Don’t close your eyes. Tell me what you and Greeley are going to do this summer.”

  “Wants to learn to surf.” Fitzgibbon managed a small smile.

  “I’m the worst surfer on the planet. I’d like to come watch you. Maybe I’ll learn something.” Ronan had never surfed a day in his life. He was just babbling to keep Kevin talking.

  “Promise me you’ll keep Greeley safe, Ronan. If I don’t make it, promise me, you’ll…” Kevin’s eyes rolled back in his head.

  “Dad!” Greeley shouted. “No, Dad! Stay with me! Don’t leave me!”

  Ronan put his fingers to Fitzgibbon’s neck. His pulse was faint. He could hear the roar of sirens coming closer. “Ten, take Greeley downstairs to meet the ambulance. Tell them where we are. Make sure they tend to Greeley’s injuries too.”

  Ten wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulder and led him out of the room. Greeley was still screaming for Fitzgibbon.

  “Come on, cap. Don’t you leave me. You’re the only man stubborn enough to put up with my bullshit. You’re also the only captain open-minded enough to hire a psychic.” Ronan kept the pressure on the wound and prayed the paramedics would hurry the hell up.

  Minutes later, Ronan heard the thump of heavy boots running toward him.

  “Detective O’Mara?” came a shout.

  “Here!” Ronan shouted back. “Help is here, cap. Hold on a little longer. Just a bit longer.”

  Paramedics burst through the door. Ronan hopped back and let them do their job. One ripped Fitzgibbon’s shirt open while another set a backboard on the floor next to him.

  “Load him up. Let’s go. Keeping pressure on the wound kept him alive for us to get here. Good job detective.”

  “Which hospital?” Ronan asked.

  “Boston Medical Center,” came the answer.

  Ronan nodded as the paramedics ran out the door with Fitzgibbon.

  Members of BPD swooped into the room next. “Detective O’Mara?” a man in a suit asked.

  “Yes.” Ronan knew exactly what was coming. The suit was some higher up who wanted to talk to him about the shooting and take his gun while another internal affairs investigation was opened on him. He didn’t have the time, patience or energy to deal with this now. He needed to get to the hospital.

  “I’m Lieutenant Louis from vice. I’m going to need to take your statement.” The Lieutenant looked to be about fifty years old, with salt and pepper hair and icy blue eyes. He didn’t look like he was in the mood to be here tonight. Ronan would guess he got pulled away from some barbecue to show up on-scene.

  “That’s going to have to wait, lieutenant. In case you missed it, paramedics just ran out of this room with my captain who’s got a gunshot wound to the chest. His son, who that son-of-a-bitch,” Ronan pointed to the body of Rod Jacobson, “has now tried to kill twice, has been beaten and cut up to within an inch of his life. Before my captain lost consciousness, the last thing he said to me was to take care of his boy. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be at BMC with both of them.”

  “Detective,” Lieutenant Louis grabbed Ronan’s arm. “This the serial killer the media’s been buzzing about all night?”

  Ronan nodded. “He shot my captain and I shot him. It was a good shoot, sir.”

  “I don’t doubt that it was. You mind if I come along to the hospital with you? Fitzgibbon and I go way back. Came out of the academy together.”

  Ronan nodded and hurried out of the room. He flew toward the side stairs and could see Tennyson standing by a second ambulance and assumed those paramedics were treating Greeley. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he sprinted towar
d them.

  “Ronan!” Tennyson ran into his arms. “Are you okay?” Not waiting for an answer, Tennyson hugged him tighter.

  “I’m fine. How’s Greeley?”

  “He lost his mind when the ambulance sped away with Kevin and he wasn’t allowed to go too. The paramedics shouted out that they were going to Boston Medical Center and these guys are headed to Beth Israel. It’s part of the reason we’re still here. Since Greeley’s injuries aren’t life threatening, I’d like to take him out of their care.”

  Hugging Tennyson a bit tighter, Ronan pulled away and hurried over to the paramedic putting a bandage on a deep cut on Greeley’s leg. The boy was crying and begging to see his father. “Excuse me, I’m Detective Ronan O’Mara. My partner tells me you plan on taking this boy to Beth Israel?”

  The blond paramedic looked up from Greeley to nod. “That’s the hospital we’re assigned to. We can’t deviate from our plan.”

  “Okay, well since his father was taken to BMC with a gunshot wound, that means I’m this boy’s guardian. What do I need to do to take him out of your care and take him with me to see his father?”

  The paramedics blue eyes narrowed on Ronan. “There’s nothing you need to do. You can refuse medical treatment and take him wherever you want. I have to warn you though, his injuries are very severe and it’s my opinion that he’s detoxing from some kind of substance, most likely heroin.”

  Ronan rolled his eyes and reached for his last shred of patience. “This boy was nearly killed by a mad man who just shot his father. I’m not taking him to a Red Sox game for fuck’s sake, we’re going to the hospital where they are treating his father. I will make sure he gets medical care there. Greeley was being treated for a methamphetamine addiction at Hope by the Sea, up on the North Shore, which started after his last encounter with this serial killer. Now, if you’d kindly get off your damn soap box and finish bandaging this boy up so we can get to the hospital?” Ronan crossed his arms over his chest.

  The paramedic nodded and got back to work. Ten minutes later, the paramedics released Greeley and Tennyson helped him into the back of the Mustang before climbing into the back seat with him.

  “Is my Dad going to be okay, Tennyson?” Greeley asked. His voice sounded so small and lost.

  “I don’t know, but I’m praying that he will be. Your Dad has a lot of people who love him and I know they’re all praying too.”

  “All of your friends? The other psychics? Dad told me all about them and how when I was better they’d be my family.”

  Ronan found his first smile in hours. It warmed his heart that Fitzgibbon thought of himself as a member of their family and had been telling Greeley all about them. “We already are your family, Greeley.” Ronan just hoped that by the time this nightmare was over he would still be playing the role of favorite uncle and not father.

  43

  Tennyson

  What Tom Petty said about waiting was right on. Tennyson was pacing around the small waiting room reserved for families with loved ones in surgery. In the two hours since Fitzgibbon had been brought in, the number of people in the small room had swelled.

  At first it was just him and Ronan, but then more people started to trickle in. Truman, Carson, and Cole were the first to arrive. After that, the other members of the cold case unit showed up, along with Captain Davidson, Ronan’s captain when he worked homicide, and Lieutenant Louis from the crime scene. Tony and Carlie Abruzzi and the four boys they had taken in showed up after that, along with Mick O’Dwyer and his wife. Lastly, in walked Vann Hoffman.

  Tennyson hadn’t wanted to mention it, but there were people in the room from the other side as well. Bertha Craig was standing off to the side with Ronan’s mother, Erin. Justin Wilson, Austin Roberts and Dylan Charles were also standing together. He was debating whether or not to tell Ronan about that, but figured now wasn’t the best time. The mothers were being very closed-mouthed about Captain Fitzgibbon’s condition and the teenagers didn’t seem to know what to do.

  “What am I going to do about Greeley?” Ronan asked for the tenth time.

  Since Fitzgibbon was his guardian, Ronan wasn’t allowed in the treatment room with the teen. “I don’t know, Ronan.” Ten rubbed his lover’s back. Hoping to soothe his frayed nerves.

  “He’s alone and scared and one of us should be with him.” Ronan was shouting.

  “What’s going on, Ronan?” Vann Hoffman joined them.

  “The captain’s son was hurt pretty badly by the killer and since none of us are family, they won’t let us be in the treatment room while they fix him up,” Ronan half-whispered, looking embarrassed.

  Vann narrowed his dark eyes. “Come with me. I have privileges at this hospital.”

  “Yeah, but you’re a medical examiner.” Ronan looked confused.

  “Do you want to stand here and argue or come with me?” Vann grinned.

  “Come with you,” Ronan muttered, sounding like a petulant child.

  Vann led him out of the room which left Tennyson alone with this thoughts for a minute. He couldn’t help thinking that this was the second time in the last three months that Ronan had almost been killed by a mad man. Granted, this time he’d been safe, but that didn’t mean that next time Ten wouldn’t be in the line of fire again like he’d been during the Michael Frye case.

  Ten supposed all that mattered now was that Rod Jacobson wouldn’t be able to hurt any other teenage boys. His tally had been fourteen street kids. Ten could only pray that Kevin Fitzgibbon wouldn’t be added to the body count, when all was said and done.

  “Hey,” Carson came up from behind him and hugged Tennyson tight when he turned around. “You okay?”

  Ten shook his head. “All I can think about are Greeley and Kevin. How they just found each other and became a family and how it could all end here and now. Things like that shouldn’t happen, Carson. It just isn’t fair.”

  “I know it isn’t fair.” Carson hugged him tighter. “Tru and I tried so hard to keep him from leaving our house. Jesus though, when that video came in of that sick bastard cutting Greeley, we couldn’t stop him from leaving. I tried texting you, but you never got back to me until it was all over. Not that there would have been anything you could have done to stop Kevin from charging into that room like an angry grizzly bear.”

  “The motel had two sets of stairs. One on each side of the building. I was taking Greeley down the left-hand stairs, while Kevin had run up the right-hand stairs. We had parked behind a different motel so Jacobson wouldn’t see the car or our approach, but the captain threw all of his police training out the window in his effort to get to Greeley. He parked right in front of the motel and charged up the closest stairs. He’s so lucky Jacobson was a bad shot.”

  “So, you’re saying that if he’d seen you and Greeley on the other stairs, he wouldn’t have charged into the room and wouldn’t have gotten…” Carson trailed off.

  Ten nodded.

  “I would have done the same thing. Truman and Cole too. If some asshole kidnapped any of our kids, we wouldn’t hesitate to die in order to save them.”

  Tennyson shivered. He couldn’t help thinking back to his parents and the parents of the boys who had only been too eager to show their kids the door when they found out that their boys were gay. “I guess not all parents are born with that instinct.”

  “Tennyson?” Truman came up behind them and pointed to the door. Ronan was escorting Greeley into the waiting room.

  “Oh, thank God,” Ten hurried over to Greeley who looked exhausted but okay. “How is he?” Ten asked Ronan once Greeley was settled into a seat next to Carson.

  “He’s the strongest kid I know.” Ronan’s face glowed with pride. “He needed dozens of stitches and he wouldn’t let the doctor give him so much as lidocaine for the pain. Told them no narcotics at all, then spent the entire time they were working on him telling the doctor and nurse how brave his father is. Jesus, Ten, if the cap doesn’t make it…”

  “He
will.” Tennyson slung an arm around Ronan’s shoulder. He had a feeling the captain was going to pull through and that feeling was a lot stronger now.

  “How can you be so sure? Are you just being optimistic or are you getting a hint from the other side?” Ronan looked confused, but also like he was going to smile at the same time.

  “I’m looking for Ronan O’Mara,” a doctor dressed in blue scrubs announced.

  “I’m Ronan O’Mara.” He pulled away from Tennyson and reached a hand out to Greeley, who got up from his seat with Ten and Ronan.

  “I’m Doctor Evan Benson, the surgeon who operated on Captain Fitzgibbon.”

  “Did you save my Dad? Is he gonna be okay?” Greeley reached out for Tennyson’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

  “It was touch and go for a while there. He lost a lot of blood. We were able to get the bullet out and he’s in ICU now. He’s going to be just fine.”

  Greeley let out a sob and wrapped his arms around Ronan.

  “When can we see him?” Ronan asked.

  “Right now, if you like. Only a few of you at a time though. He’s still not completely out of the anesthesia yet.”

  “How long will he have to stay in the hospital?” Tennyson asked.

  “Only for a few days. After that he’ll be able to go home, if all goes well. He’s a healthy man, so I have no doubt that it will. He won’t be able to drive or go back to work for a few weeks, but once he’s cleared to return to work, he’ll be good as new.”

  “Thank you, Doctor Benson.” Ronan shook the doctor’s hand, before turning back to Tennyson. “How did you know he was going to be okay, Ten?”

  Tennyson burst out laughing. “Because your mother and Bertha Craig were giving me two thumbs up.”

  “What? They were?” Ronan looked around the room as if he expected to see both women standing there.

  Ten nodded. “They’ve been here waiting with us the whole time.”

  “Thanks for keeping us waiting down to the wire, Mom.” Ronan rolled his eyes.

  “They’re spirits, Ronan. Not all-knowing oracles.” Ten laughed.